The B-Team
by SpartaBlaze
Summary: Mikey and Donnie weren't really close when they were first brought in by Splinter. However, when Mikey has a nightmare and Donnie is there to comfort him, that all changes.
1. Bad Dreams

**Title:** _The B-Team_

 **Author:** _SpartaBlaze (Rebecca)_

 **Disclaimer:** _I do not own the turtles, not even the little turtles. I really wish I did, but I do not._

 **Author's Note:** _So this is not my first story on FanFiction. Part of letting go of the past was moving forward, so I let go of my other account, and I started over. I felt like writing about the turtle tots, so that's what I did, using my two favorite turtles, Mikey and Donnie. Please leave feedback if you'd like, so I know what I can improve on._

* * *

 **Chapter Title:** _Bad Dreams_

 **POV:** _Donnie's_

"Donnie?" I heard a quiet voice call out into my room, and my eyes flashed open. I looked around for the person as I sat up. When my eyes went to the door, they were met with wide blue ones. Mikey.

"What are you doing up?" I asked him as he crawled up onto my bed. He sat down right next to me and leaned his head into my shoulder.

"I had a nightmare," he whispered. I nodded. Mikey had regular nightmares; no one knew why. What was weird, though, was that he came to me. He always goes to Leo, the oldest, when he has nightmares. I had never been Mikey's favorite brother, even though I was close to the same age. I wasn't "fun" enough for him. So why was he here? "Do you want to talk about it?" I asked, not sure what else to say. I didn't know what to do for him. Leo would know, but he was probably already asleep. Maybe that's why he was here.

"You know how Master Splinter always tells us about the Shredder?" he checked. I nodded. "I had a dream where the Shredder found us, and he..."

"He did what?" I urged, rubbing his shoulder. He whispered the answer into my plastron so quietly I couldn't hear him. "What was that?"

"He killed you..."

Oh. Oh! That's why he's here. Leo had always told me that Mikey's nightmares were so vivid that he always thought that they were real. So he went to go check on whoever had gotten hurt in his nightmares. I think this was the first time one of us has been _killed_ in one, though.

I wrapped my arms tightly around him, bringing him closer to me. "Don't worry, Mikey. I'm fine. There's no need to worry about me," I assured him. He didn't seem so convinced, since he was still hiding his face and crying into me. Hmm... What would calm him down? I looked around me, my eyes landing on the book at the foot of the bed. I smiled as I reached down to grab it. "Do you want me to read to you?"

He nodded rapidly, looking up at me. "You'll read to me?" he asked hopefully. My smile widened.

"Of course. I don't think I've read to you before," I said.

"Leo doesn't know how to read to me," he told me.

I nodded. "I know. He's still trying to learn, though."

I pulled my pillow up so I could lean against it as I read. He sat up with me. I opened the picture book and held it out so he could see the pictures. I reached behind me and flipped the switch. The light turned on, and he smiled.

After I finished reading to him – and he fell asleep – I got off the bed. I scooped him up in my arms and carried him back to his room. He was incredibly heavy, but I struggled on. He was sucking his thumb, his stuffed teddy bear clutched to his plastron. I smiled as I laid him down on his bed. I tucked him and turned to leave. I stopped when I heard him whisper, "I love you, Donnie" in his sleep. I smiled brightly as I left the room. That meant the world to me.


	2. The TV

**Author's Note:** _I hope anybody who has read this has enjoyed it so far. I didn't update as soon as I would have liked, but I felt motivated to write so I decided to write the next chapter. I hope you enjoy!_

* * *

 **Chapter Title:** _The TV_

 **POV:** _Donnie's_

"Whatcha working on, Donnie?" Mikey asked, looking over my shoulder. I looked over, meeting his bright blue eyes. I smiled.

"I hope it'll turn out as a TV," I told him. His eyes widened.

"What's a TV?" he asked.

"Something you can watch things on, like videos or TV shows," I explained. "I'm just not sure I have all of the parts, so I don't know if it'll work."

"What does it do?"

I put down the wire I was working with. "So let's say we made a video, something we recorded on a camera. TV shows are kind of like that. They have specific videos that play all day long."

"It sounds cool!"

"Well, I can just hope it works. I still don't know if I have the parts I need."

Mikey headed out of my room since Master Splinter was calling for him for a bath. Mikey always loved bath time, so he was out of the room the second he heard Splinter call for him. I smiled, going back to the TV in front of me. I would finish this for him. It would be my gift to him.

I grunted as I picked up the TV in my arms. I had already tried it, and I knew it worked. Now I just need to set it up for Mikey. I headed straight out to the living room, glad I could hear Mikey cheering. Leo and Raph were in the dojo sparring.

I set it down on the little stand I had already dragged out here. I plugged it in, running back to my room to get the remote I needed. By the time I got back out there, Raph and Leo were sitting out there, staring at the TV.

"What is it, Donnie?" Leo asked me. I smiled.

"It's a TV. It's my gift to you guys," I said, even though I knew it was mainly for Mikey. He was just so happy when he learned what I was working on.

"What does it do?" Raph demanded, grumpy. Leo must have won. If Raph had won, he would be completely smug and smiling.

"Just watch," I said. I called for Mikey, and Mikey came running from his room. His blue eyes lit up when he saw what I had, and he threw himself onto the floor directly in front of the TV. "Could you back up a bit? Staring at it for too long that close can be bad for your eyes." He nodded, scooting back.

I pressed the button on the remote, and the TV flicked on. My brothers all simultaneously gasped. I smiled wider. I turned on a little cartoon that was playing, and Mikey scooted up just a bit, staring in wonder. My older brothers got a little closer, too.

"It's so cool!" Leo and Raph said to me. I nodded.

"How are the little people inside the TV?" Mikey demanded suddenly, getting my attention.

"What?"

"The little people. How did they get in the TV? Did they use a shrink ray?" he continued. I shook my head.

"They're not little people. There are satellites in space that they get signals from where the videos are playing, and they project onto each TV," I said. "Or, at least I think that's what I learned. I don't know if it's right, but it's not little shrunken people. Sorry to disappoint you, Mikey."

"You didn't disappoint me, Donnie. I'm just happy that you finished it," he said, smiling brightly. I was shocked, but I smiled in return. My heart soared, knowing that Mikey appreciated me. Even if I wasn't valued by my older brothers, I knew I always had Mikey.


	3. Let's Get Lost

**Author's Note:** _So, sorry that this chapter is a bit darker than the first two. I have always found that people who go through something traumatic, they bond a lot more. Also, I've been having a rough time right now, and my writing often reflects the mood I'm in. I hope you guys enjoy it. It'll get happier from here. I promise._

* * *

 **Chapter 3:** _Le'ts Get Lost_

 **POV:** _Donnie's_

"Come on, Donnie," I heard Mikey whisper in the dark. I sat up, looking for him. He bounced onto my bed and I smiled. I was still nervous about this, though.

"Are you sure this will be alright with Master Splinter?" I asked him. He nodded, staring straight into my eyes.

"Well, maybe not, but he doesn't have to know," he told me. I sighed. I knew that Master Splinter would kill us if he ever found out. But was that going to stop Mikey? Probably not. So I didn't bother saying anything to him.

"So where exactly are we going?" I questioned, hoping he had a plan.

"I'm not sure. We're not going anywhere in particular. We'll just wander around for a little while, then we'll come home," he whispered. I nodded, pulling my mask on.

We walked out of my room slowly, making sure that we didn't make any noise. Master Splinter had amazing hearing so any wrong movement might alert him that we were up. Once we were down one of the sewer tunnels a ways, we stopped being so careful.

Mikey was nearly skipping. How he was this energetic at night, I'll never understand. I found myself looking at him constantly. "This is so exciting!" he laughed. I smiled.

"We just can't be out for too long," I told him. "Splinter will freak out and get so mad if he ever finds out we wandered off on our own."

"I know."

After that, we walked in silence for a little while. It was kind of fascinating to wander around. It smelled awful down here, but it was bearable. We did live in the sewers, after all. There was art all over the walls after we wandered far enough.

Mikey stopped all of a sudden, staring wide-eyed at the wall to our right. I turned to look. It wasn't like the rest of the art we had seen. It was red, and it was splattered across the wall. "Why does this look different?" he asked me.

"I'm not sure. It doesn't look like the paint we've seen everywhere else," I said. "But maybe we should leave. I'm getting a really bad feeling."

As we were turning around to leave, we heard an angry voice shout. We both yelped, freezing up. Then we heard a loud bang, and my heart leaped out of my chest as we took off running as fast as we could. The angry voice got quieter until it disappeared all together.

When we stopped to catch our breath, we realized we had no idea where we were. It wasn't like the tunnels that we had traveled through. Mikey fell to his knees. I looked at him, seeing that he was holding his arm. I got down on my knees in the sewer water next to him. "Mikey," I asked, "are you okay?"

He shook his head, closing his eyes. "Where are we?" he asked me quietly.

"I-I don't know," I told him. "Move your hand. Let me see what happened." He shook his head again, turning his head away from me. I leaned forward, gripping the hand that he had pressed to his arm. He loosened his hold on his arm and let me pull his hand away. There was a hole in his arm, blood gushing from it. My heart stopped.

"We need to get you home right now. Splinter needs to help you," I whispered, looking around the tunnel. I wasn't sure where we had come from or where we needed to go to get home. We had wandered too far from home for me to recognize how far away the lair was. Also, I had never gone out into the sewers without Splinter before.

"But we don't know where home is," he told me. "You go find Master Splinter. I'll stay here."

"I'm not leaving you," I told him. I untied my mask from around my head and wrapped it around the hole in his arm. He looked me right in the eyes as I moved to try to stop the bleeding. Once it was tied tight enough to stop the bleeding, I scooped him up into my arms. He melted into my arms, relaxing quite a bit.

I walked through the sewers, calling Master Splinter's, Leo's and Raph's names, hoping someone could hear me. I wasn't sure how long I was walking, but all of a sudden, Splinter was running at me. I ran towards him, tears streaming down my cheeks. "I'm so sorry!" I cried. "Mikey wanted us to walk around the sewers, and we sneaked out, and we walked too far, and Mikey got injured, and I couldn't find our way home, and-and..."

I talked until I couldn't speak anymore. When Master Splinter took Mikey from my arms, I fell to the ground, sobbing as loud as I could. Master Splinter picked me up with his other arm and he carried Mikey and me home quickly.

Leo and Raph were waiting for us, concerned looks on both of their faces. When they saw that Mikey was bleeding, their concern was replaced with horror. Master Splinter set me down in the living room and carried Mikey back to his room. I collapsed on the ground, watching him disappear.

"What were you two thinking?!" Leo and Raph demanded. I hung my head.

"We wanted to go on an adventure," I cried. "It's all my fault..."

"It's not your fault," Leo told me after a minute of silence. "You didn't know he'd get hurt. He'll be fine. He's in good hands."

"What if he won't be okay?" I demanded, whipping my head to look up at him. Tears still streaked my bare face. "It'll be all my fault!"

"Donatello," Master Splinter said behind me. I froze. "Come with me." I gulped, getting to my shaky feet. I turned around and followed him to his room. I remained silent, not sure what was going to happen. Just outside his door, he stopped and turned around. I bowed my head, not meeting his eyes.

"You're not in trouble," he started. "Yes, you and Michelangelo sneaked out of the lair without my permission. However, you had no way of knowing Michelangelo would be shot. If you hadn't picked him up and carried him closer to home and called for us, he wouldn't have made it. You saved his life. Therefore, I will not punish you."

"He's going to make it?" I asked breathlessly.

He nodded, smiling at me. I felt the corners of my lips curl up. "But please, don't ever wander off in the sewers alone again. If you feel the need to explore, ask me to come with you," he told me. I nodded.

"Can I see him?" I asked, and he nodded, opening the door to his room. I walked in, my eyes immediately scanning the room for Mikey. He was laying on Master Splinter's bed, his eyes closed.

I sat down on the floor next to the bed. He smiled. "Love you, Donnie," he whispered as I took his hand. I smiled back at him.


	4. A Sweet Idea

**A/N:** _Sorry that the last chapter was kind of dark and then I stopped updating for a little while. Things got busy at school, I had a birthday party/sleepover, and I had boy issues (but that's not much of a surprise because when do I **not**?). This chapter is a little sweeter, and I'm going to try to update sooner than I did with this chapter. Also, if you are by any chance a Miraculous Ladybug fan, you should check out the other story I've started on my account. That would be awesome. Again, any feedback is always welcome._

* * *

 **Chapter 4:** _A Sweet Idea_

 **POV:** _Donnie's_

"Come on, Donnie!" Mikey laughed, jumping up and down on my bed. I looked up from my book at him.

"You got shot two days ago. Do you really think you should be jumping around like that?" I asked him.

"Do you even know what I want to do?" he asked me. I shook my head at him. "You're not even listening to me!"

"After last time, I'm not too keen on following you on any adventure," I admitted. He pouted, his blue eyes shining.

"It's not dangerous!" he defended.

"Alright. Then let's hear it," I said.

"Uh-uh. I already told you. You just have to follow me," he said. I rolled my eyes, considering what would happen if I didn't follow through on this. He would most likely end up crying, which I didn't want. He'd probably hate me - like he would've hated Raph or Leo if they didn't listen to him - which is something else I don't want. But if I did do it and it was something dangerous, Splinter would probably kill me.

In the end, I sighed and got off my bed. Mikey cheered, jumping off and landing on his feet. He ran out of my room ahead of me, laughing loudly. I followed a few feet behind. He led me into the kitchen.

"We're...eating?" I asked.

"Nope. We're cooking," he told me. "Master Splinter found me a cook book yesterday while he was out. His birthday is coming up soon, and I wanted to make him a cake."

Oh, yeah! How could I have almost forgotten?! "Does he know you're making him a cake?" I asked. He shook his head.

"It's gonna be a surprise," he laughed. "But shush. I don't want him to overhear us."

"I wasn't the one talking loudly, but okay."

He pulled the cookbook over to the table and pulled himself up onto his stool. His name had been carved into the seat a couple weeks ago because he was mad at Raph for taking "his" spot. I guess it was his spot now. I climbed onto the stool next to his.

We spent an hour looking through the book, looking for things that looked delicious. We had never eaten human food before, just stuck with the algae and worms that we had always eaten. But the things in the book looked really good.

"What is milk?" Mikey asked me suddenly after closing the book.

"What?"

"In most of the recipes, it said we needed milk. Do you know what it is?"

"Um...I'm not sure. We could always ask Master Splinter."

"No! Then he'll ask what we need it for, and then he'll know about the surprise!"

I sighed. How were we supposed to do anything if we didn't know what any of this stuff was? And since we didn't know what any of this stuff is, how would we know where to find it?

Giving up for today, Mikey carried the cookbook back to his room. I headed straight to Master Splinter's room. Mikey wouldn't be happy, but we needed help.

I knocked lightly on the door leading to Master Splinter's room. "Come in, Donatello," he said through the door.

"How did you know it was me?" I asked him as I slid the door open.

"You and Leonardo are the only two whose breathing gets a little heavier when knocking. However, you are the only one who doesn't say anything until I say you can come in," he chuckled. "Come and sit."

I sat down cross-legged in front of him. He smiled. "Master Splinter, can you help me with something?" I asked him.

"Of course. What is it you need help with?"

"You know how you found a cookbook for Mikey?"

"Yes."

"Well, we want to make one of the things in the book, but we don't have any ingredients. Can you help me?"

"Of course. There are a few things that will be hard to find, but we could figure that out. Will Michelangelo be joining us?"

"No. He didn't want you to know about this, but I knew that we couldn't make anything without your help."

He nodded, closing his eyes. "We shall go at nightfall after I put your brothers to bed. There should not be as many humans out at that time."

"Thank you, Master Splinter," I said, smiling as I got up to leave. I bowed to him and left the room. I was so excited to be going out tonight. Yes, the sewers still scare me, but seeing Mikey happy would be totally worth it.


	5. Ingredient Hunting

**A/N:** _Thank you, Samiam2468 for being my motivation to get a chapter out sooner. I would have immediately gone to write this chapter last night after I got your review, but I was busy writing an essay. By the time I finished it, it was after ten, and I was exhausted. I definitely smiled when I saw it, though. Thanks for the motivation and the smile! Also, I'm not quite sure how this would work. Some ingredients needed for a cake would go bad if left out for too long. I'm trying to find a way for it to work out logically. I think my way of doing it will work. I hope. This chapter is kind of boring since I wasn't sure how I was supposed to write it. I tried, though. I think I'll try to upload one more chapter for this today, as well as another chapter for the other story I started since I have the day off from school!_

* * *

 **Chapter 5:** _Ingredient Hunting_

 **POV:** _Donnie's_

My eyes flashed open when I heard a knock on the door. Just what I was waiting for. "Donatello?" I heard Master Splinter whisper through the door. "Are you ready to go?"

I got out of bed and walked to the door while tying my mask around my face. I opened my door and smiled up at him. He returned it with a gentle smile. "Leonardo overheard our conversation and would like to come with us. Is that alright?" he asked me. I nodded. He smiled again and led me to Leo's room.

Leo was ready to go by the time we reached his room. He looked so excited, the smile never leaving his face. "Do you have the recipe, Donnie?" Leo asked me. I nodded, pulling the folded up paper out of my belt around my plastron and shell.

"Before bed, I went to go see what cake Mikey wanted to make, and when he told me, I wrote it all down on another piece of paper," I told him.

"Alright. I'm just so excited to be going," he laughed quietly. We smiled at each other.

Master Splinter led us out of the lair and into the huge tunnel past the main opening of the lair. I wasn't sure why this tunnel looked different, but it was nice not to be walking through the water in the tunnel Mikey and I had gone through the other day.

Eventually, Master Splinter led us into another tunnel which we were only in for a little bit before coming across a ladder. "Where are we going?" I asked him.

"Up," he said simply, climbing up the ladder. When he got to the top, he moved something out of the way and climbed all the way out. He called for us once he was out of sight. Leo climbed up next, me following close behind. When I was all the way up on solid ground, a gust of wind blew at me, and I shivered. It was much colder up here than it was in the lair.

Master Splinter moved the heavy-looking metal cover back over the hole as Leo and I looked around at our surroundings. We were in a little space between two really tall walls. Trash littered the ground around a green metal trashcan. There was paint all over the walls. Beyond the walls, we could hear talking. It was much lighter out that way.

The three of us wandered around for hours. We stuck to the shadows, hiding whenever a human was around. I think Leo was more excited that he was receiving ninja training than he was for being up here. He always had a huge smile on his face, keeping as silent as he could as he moved.

As we went along, Master Splinter darted into buildings, leaving us in hiding. He would come back with the things we needed, and gradually, I checked things off of the list. It was two hours later when we had everything and could go back home.

"Why are some of these things cold?" Leo asked Master Splinter as we walked, his first words spoken since we had been up here.

"Because they need to be kept cold," Master Splinter said. "I am not quite sure how I'm going to keep them cold, but I will figure that out."

"We're cold!" Leo offered. Master Splinter smiled at him.

"I don't think you're nearly cold enough," he joked.

It was nearly time to wake up when we got back into the lair. Raph and Mikey were most likely still asleep since they were not up watching TV yet. We helped Master Splinter carry everything to the kitchen. He quickly put everything in something that I didn't know the name for.

"Will that keep it cold?" I asked him.

"It's supposed to, but it's not working. I'm not sure how to fix it," he sighed. "I think it should keep it cold enough until later."

Leo and I headed to bed for an hour. I was woken up twenty minutes later by Mikey jumping on my bed. I groaned, looking up at him. "I was looking around in the kitchen and I found that we have all of the things we need!" he said excitedly. I smiled. "Come on, we have to go make it!"

"Alright," I chuckled, getting up. I was exhausted, but Mikey was so happy. I wasn't going to make him wait any longer.


	6. Happy Birthday, Splinter!

**A/N:** _I'm so sorry that I didn't update this story sooner. I wanted to get my Miraculous Ladybug story started and finished. Then I got caught up with school. But I am determined to update this weekend. I have a lot of laundry and homework, but this chapter is long overdue!_

* * *

 **Chapter 6:** _Happy Birthday, Splinter!_

 **POV:** _Mikey's_

"Everything needs to be perfect," Leo snapped at us as we rushed around the lair. Master Splinter would be home any minute.

"Leo, don't you think we're trying?" Raph snapped back before ignoring Leo again. Raph and Leo had started to fight more often recently. Donnie and I aren't sure why.

"What about the cake?" I asked.

"I've got it," Donnie said from the kitchen.

"Leo, I think we're done," I said.

"Are you sure? How does the kitchen look?" Leo asked.

"Spotless," Donnie chirped, coming out into the living room.

"The living room looks nice. What about our rooms?" Leo asked.

"Our rooms are all done," I said, and Donnie nodded in agreement.

"Where's Raph?" Leo demanded. "He needs to be out here."

"Right here," Raph sighed, coming back into the living room.

"Now we just have to sit and act natural until he gets back," Leo said, smiling.

We all sat down on the floor in front of the TV, and Leo turned it to Space Heroes. I had started to get interested in this show after a few episodes, and I sat down right next to Leo. We watched it together while Donnie and Raph pretended to pay attention. Their minds were probably elsewhere.

Master Splinter came into the lair a few minutes later. We all bounced up and ran at him, our arms open. We all gave him a huge hug all at once. He chuckled and got down, hugging us all back. "Hello, my sons," he said.

"We have a surprise for you," I said excitedly. He smiled.

"Can I know what it is?" he asked.

"No, then it wouldn't be a surprise," I said before Donnie and I ran into the kitchen. We each grabbed an end of the big cake we had made and carried it into the living room. His face lit up.

"Happy birthday!" the four of us cheered as Donnie and I presented the cake to him.

"Thank you, my sons," he said, smiling as he walked over to our cake. "It looks absolutely delicious." That was probably a lie. It looked nothing like it was supposed to in the picture. I do have to admit, though, it still looks good. "How long did it take you to make this?"

"About four hours," Donnie said.

"I really appreciate your efforts, all of you," he said. "I couldn't ask for anything more on my birthday."

"Raph and I did most of the cleaning. Donnie and Mikey made the cake," Leo informed, smiling. Splinter nodded.

"Well, the lair looks beautiful, and the cake looks delicious. Are we going to have some?" Master Splinter asked.

"Of course," we all said. Donnie and I took the cake back into the kitchen, and the other three followed behind us.

We set the cake down on the table, and we sat while Donnie went to retrieve the knife to cut it. He handed it to Master Splinter. Master Splinter cut us all a piece and gave them to us. We wouldn't eat it yet, though. I learned from Donnie that it's supposed to be a tradition for the birthday person to eat the first bite of cake. Master Splinter looked at the four of us. "Aren't you going to eat any?" he asked.

"Not until you do," I said, ready to provide the information that I thought he would like to know. "It's tradition for the birthday person to eat the first bite of cake. We're waiting for you."

"And you know that if even Mikey is waiting to eat his, he's really motivated to keep it a tradition," Raph laughed, and I glared at him, sticking my tongue out.

"Well, alright," Master Splinter said, taking a bite. He froze, not chewing. I stared at him in horror. Oh, no! We must've poisoned the cake somehow! "I don't believe you made the cake before some of the ingredients went bad." I knew it! We poisoned it!

"What do you mean?" Donnie asked. "I thought they were still good."

"The taste says otherwise," Master Splinter said quietly, but politely. "I'm sorry. I should have told you two to make the cake within a couple of hours of getting the ingredients."

"What are we supposed to do, Donnie? We ruined Master Splinter's birthday!" I cried.

"No, my son. You didn't ruin it at all," Master Splinter quickly assured me as tears filled my eyes. "It's the thought that counts."

"No, it doesn't! The thought doesn't change the fact that we ruined the cake! If we had thought more, we would've realized that the ingredients weren't good!" I wailed, running out of the kitchen. I had one job, and I screwed it up!

Master Splinter came into my room a few minutes later. I knew it was him because he's the only one who would've knocked before coming in. Donnie would open the door quietly while Leo and Raph would barge in. He sat down on the edge of my bed and put a hand on my shell. I buried my face in my pillow.

"Michelangelo, why do you feel like you ruined my birthday?" he asked me.

"Because we ruined the cake. The cake is supposed to be the most important part. Well, presents are, but we didn't have the money to buy you anything. So the cake was supposed to be the most important thing today. And it's ruined," I cried.

"Birthdays aren't about cake or presents," he said, and that got me to sit up.

"It's not?" I asked. Did Donnie lie to me?

"No," he chuckled. "Birthdays are about celebrating with your loved ones, like family and friends. Birthday presents and cake are not that important. You can have a birthday without them."

"So Donnie did lie to me," I said, and Master Splinter looked at me weirdly. "He told me that cake and presents were the most important part of a birthday."

"Well, you all are young. When you grow old like me, you will come to realize that you don't need a cake or presents. Spending time with those close to you is the most important part of a birthday," he explained. "He didn't necessarily lie. He just has not learned this yet, and that's alright."

"How old are you turning?" I asked suddenly. He couldn't be _old,_ could he?

"I am turning 30 today," he said.

"You are old!" I said loudly, and all he did was just start laughing.

"To a child, that is old. But I still have a long life ahead of me," he said.

"Do I?"

"Of course, you do. Now would you like to come out and spend time with everyone else?"

I nodded silently, and he scooped me up into his arms. He carried me out to the living room where my brothers were waiting for us. He set me down on the floor before sitting down. We all gathered around him.

"I have taught Michelangelo an important lesson, and I feel I should tell you three, as well," Splinter started. "Birthdays are not about cake and presents." The look on Donnie's face when he said that was priceless! "They are about spending time with friends and family. And presents do not need to be bought. You can make things. As long as the thought is there, that's all that matters. Like the cake. You two wanted to make me a cake for my birthday. The thought was there, and that's what matters. You tried your hardest, and that's good enough for me."

"So all you wanted today was to spend time with us?" Leo asked.

"That's all I ever wanted," Splinter said to us. We all grinned and hugged him tightly. He hugged us all back. "This is the best present you could ever get me."


	7. Can We Keep Him?

**A/N:** _I have been gone for far, far too long. I'm really sorry. School got really busy for me right at the end, and then I got my first job almost immediately after school ended. I've been doing actual work for the past couple of weeks while trying to go do things with my friends. It's the first time I've really had money, so I can do a lot more with all of them. I will try to update regularly on this up until about halfway through August when school starts again. I'll be a junior with 4 AP classes and a job, so I might not update much then. I will try to make more time for it._

 _This chapter is going to be set when the turtles are a little older, maybe about...two or three._

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 **Chapter 7:** _Can We Keep Him?!_

 **POV:** _Donnie's_

"Have you seen Mikey?" I asked Leo as I walked up to him. He turned around and looked at me.

"I sent him to find you an hour ago. He's not with you?" he asked me. I shook my head. "Then I have no idea where he is. I assumed he would have gone straight to you."

I sighed. Mikey has been disappearing a lot lately. We still haven't figured out where he has been going or what he has been doing. He'll disappear for hours on end, and then randomly show up. Splinter is getting kind of sick of it. Well, we are. We all worry about our baby brother.

"Do you want to help me look for him?" I asked him.

He sighed. "Well, I'm definitely not going to let you look for him alone," he said. "Let's go."

"Maybe we should get Raph to help us," I offered. Leo scoffed.

"No. He wouldn't help. He'd just yell at me and tell me everything I'm doing is wrong," he muttered under his breath, probably thinking I wouldn't hear him. I followed by Leo's side quietly as we ventured into the sewer tunnels, knowing he wasn't anywhere in the lair.

Leo and I walked around for a little while, neither of us saying anything. I just let Leo lead, not really questioning it. We both kept an eye and a ear out for any movement in the tunnels. No loud splashes or running along the ground that we could hear. After maybe an hour, I could see Leo getting ready to give up. He was walking slower; he had an annoyed expression on his face. I knew it all too well because it's the exact expression Splinter has when he breaks up a fight between Leo and Raph.

Just as Leo was opening his mouth to say something to me, we heard Mikey's laughter. We both froze before immediately taking off in the direction it came from, taking a hard left into the tunnel branching off from the one we were walking through. After a little bit of running, we saw Mikey crouched down on the ground, his shell to us.

"Mikey!" Leo and I both said, running towards him. He looked up in surprise. That surprise quickly turned to something that looked like...fear.

"Hi, guys," he said nervously, turning around to look at us. "What are you guys doing here?"

"What does it look like? We've been looking for you!" Leo said, relief obvious in his voice. "We get nervous when you disappear like that. I mean, your ninja skills are improving, and you're quiet enough to sneak out without anybody noticing. But don't scare us like that!"

"What are you even doing this far out from the lair?" I asked, looking at him. "We've been walking around for like an hour."

"It's really not that far away, guys. It takes me five minutes to walk here," he chuckled.

"Oh," Leo said, confused but not really questioning it at this point. "Well, come on. You can lead the way home, since I obviously suck with directions."

Mikey kind of grinned; it's not often Leo asks for help. But he didn't look all that happy. Leo didn't seem to notice, though, as he walked forward and grabbed Mikey's hand and pulled him to his feet. "But I'm not ready to leave yet," he complained, trying to fight Leo's hold.

"But we are. And we're not leaving without you," Leo said, obviously struggling to keep Mikey on his feet. But Leo should know by now that Mikey can be stubborn. Really stubborn. Mikey was pulling himself to the ground, forcing Leo to eventually let go. "Come on, Mikey! I want to go home!"

"I don't wanna!" Mikey whined. "I wanna stay here!"

"I don't really care. Let's go, Mikey!" Leo snapped, reaching for Mikey's hand. Mikey kicked his feet at Leo, landing in a somewhat good kick on Leo's hand. Leo growled, snapping his hand back to his plastron. "Do you want us to get Splinter and tell him where you've been?"

"No!" Mikey yelled at him.

"Then let's go!" Leo yelled back. Mikey yelled at Leo before getting to his feet and storming off towards the direction Leo and I had come from. Leo took off after him, leaving me behind in the dark. Before I could take off, I felt something weird brush against my leg. I looked down and saw...I don't know what it is. It was orange, and it was furry like Master Splinter. I got down on my knees, putting my hand out. The weird thing started vibrating and rubbed up against my hand. I giggled a little bit.

"You're cute," I said. "But what are you?"

It made a weird sound at me, looking at me with big blue eyes. Aww, they were almost like Mikey's eyes. It was orange like his mask, too. This must be why Mikey disappeared all the time. Maybe he was taking care of it. What if he was bringing it food? It's alive, so it must need food. But how does he know what it eats?

"How about I bring you back to the lair and surprise Mikey with you? I'm sure he'd be happy to see you," I said, picking it up in my arms. I could feel it continue to vibrate against my plastron. I grinned. "You are really cute. But you don't talk, do you? I wonder why you don't. Maybe you talk to Mikey. Maybe that's how he knows what you eat."

I carried it in my arms as I walked through the tunnels, remembering how I was supposed to get back. Leo or Mikey weren't anywhere to be seen, so they must not realize I'm not with them. Hopefully they don't come back to look for me. I want this to be a surprise.

When I got into the lair, it was almost silent. Note that I said _almost._ I could hear Leo yelling at Mikey for kicking him. I could also hear Splinter trying to talk Leo out of yelling. Raph was laughing. It was just so far away – maybe in the dojo – that if you're not really listening, you can't hear anything.

I brought the thing into the lab that Splinter had helped me set up a couple of months ago and slid the big metal door shut. I set the thing down on the ground, and it made the same noise before rubbing against my leg a few times. Then it took off and ran around the room, chasing some imaginary thing. Huh. Weird.

I immediately went to my little collection of books, hoping there was some book I had that would help me with this. Splinter always brought me back a book when he found something. He gave the fictional books to anyone who wanted them, and he gave me the fact books. I had a math textbook that I still didn't know how to read – I thought math was supposed to be numbers, not letters, too – and a couple of books on turtles. I think I had one on rats which I thought was really cool because they look nothing like Splinter.

The last book I had at the bottom of my pile was a book on something called cats. I haven't touched it because I've never seen a cat in my life. I pulled the book out and held the picture of the cat on the front up to the thing I had found. I looked between the pictures for a little bit before putting it down. "It can't be a cat. They have completely different fur colors and eye colors," I sighed to myself as I sat down by my books. The thing crawled into my lap and started vibrating again, continuing to make the same weird sound. "But I might as well look at the book. I might never have a reason to look at it. Do you want to learn about cats, little buddy?"

The thing made the noise again, which I took for a yes. But as I was opening the book, a knock came from my doors. I looked back at the door before looking down at the thing in my lap. "Who is it?" I asked.

"Oh, good. You are in there, Donatello," I heard Splinter say before opening the door enough for him to walk in. "Leonardo told me he hadn't seen you come in after him and Michelangelo got back. I wanted to check to make sure you had gotten home safely."

I nodded, smiling. Then the thing made the same noise again, and I froze. "What do you have there, Donatello?" he asked me, shutting the door to my lab.

"I-I'm actually not sure. That's what I'm trying to figure out. I found it while I was walking home," I said, holding the thing up. Splinter looked a little alarmed at first before smiling and walking over to me.

"You have a book on it," he told me. I looked at him, confused.

"It's not a cat, though. The colors are all wrong," I said, pointing towards my book. "I thought it might be, but the cat on the cover and that thing are different."

"Not all cats look similar, Donatello. They come in many different sizes and colors," he said. "Some cats are really fluffy, and some have no fur at all. Some are black, some are white. Some are really big, and some are really tiny. Some are fatter, and some are very lean."

"They don't all look like the one on the cover of my book?" I asked him. He shook his head. "Oh! Okay."

"Did you read your book?" he asked me, sitting down next to me. The cat immediately came into his lap and started vibrating. He smiled. I shook my head. "I think you should. You could learn some very important things on the little one here." He looked down at the cat and smiled. "You're a very gentle cat. You're very skinny, though. You must not have eaten in weeks. Poor thing."

"Wait, don't rats hate cats?" I asked him. "I think I read in my book on rats that one of their predators can be cats."

"Yes, it is the typical scenario. However, this cat is just a tiny little thing. He could never eat me," he told me. "Also, Tang Shen always wanted a cat for when we moved out here. Cats are rather cute."

I grinned. I didn't bring a predator into the lair. That's good. I opened my cat book and started to read every little thing in it. "Why don't you read it out loud, my son?" Splinter asked me.

"The domestic cat or the feral cat is a small, typically furry, carnivorous mammal. They are often called house cats when kept as indoor pets. Cats are often valued by humans for companionship and for their ability to hunt vermin. There are more than 70 cat breeds," I read out loud.

"See? Not all cats are alike," Splinter pointed out to me. I nodded.

"But they're valued by humans. Does that mean we can't keep him?" I asked.

He laughed a bit. "I used to be human. And just because they're valued by humans doesn't mean we can't keep him. We could still value his companionship," he told me. I smiled.

"Mikey will be so happy," I said. "I think the reason Mikey was disappearing so much was to take care of the cat. And I know Mikey has looked through my cat book at least once to look at all of the pictures."

"Well, should we tell him that we have the cat so he doesn't have to leave the lair anymore?" he asked me.

"Not yet. I want to learn more and see what we can do to make sure he's comfortable down here and well-fed," I said.

"Well, house cats are carnivores. They eat meat. They also eat cat food, which is specifically made for them to eat. Finding either will be hard down here," he said.

"We could go get some. It said that cats are kept as pets. I think there is a pet store somewhere around on the surface that I saw one time when we went up there," I said excitedly.

"We could go take some cat food, maybe some toys for it," he agreed with me. I know he didn't really like taking things, but that's the only thing we, as mutants, can do. He knows that.

"What kind of toys do cats like?" I asked.

"Does it say in your book?" he asked me in return.

"Cats prefer to play with objects that resemble prey, such as small furry toys that move rapidly, due to the similarity between play and hunting. String is often used as a toy but can be dangerous if eaten. Laser pointers are also used. Balls they can chase around are often fun for cats. A scratching post or board is often a good idea for cats so they do not scratch the furniture. They also tend to really enjoy cat nip, as it gives the cat a sense of overwhelming happiness," I read in my book.

"Well, then let's get some of these things. Cat food is necessary, and a bowl for it would be a good idea," Splinter said. "Do you have a piece of paper you can write on?"

"Yes, I do," I said, pulling out my notebook from the bottom of the pile. My pencil laid just a few feet away. I got up quickly and grabbed it before sitting down in my spot again. The cat still has not left Splinter's lap. He continued to pet it, stroking it gently.

"So let's make a list of everything we need. Cat food, a cat food bowl, a ball of some sort, and a scratching post. Those might be the most essential right now," he said to me. I nodded, writing everything down. My hand writing was still awful, but it was improving.

"So does this mean we're keeping him?" I asked.

"Yes, it does," he told me. I grinned. "But let's wait until after we get the things to tell your brothers. We will go out tonight to get all of the things we need."

I smiled again. Mikey would be so, so happy. This was just what he needed. He wouldn't have to leave the lair anymore, and he would have another companion for when I'm busy or something. He would always have a small little friend, and I knew that it would make him so happy.


	8. Mikey's Surprise

**Author's Note:** _Hello, I have returned. I'm really sorry that I have not updated this story in so long. When school started, my life got really rough. I forced myself through too many hard classes, and it killed me inside. I dropped writing completely because I had no time and no interest. Recently, I got a new tablet to write chapters on since my laptop is busted. And I found a new interest in writing. I will upload more chapters. I promise._

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 **Chapter 8:** _Mikey's Surprise_

 **POV:** _Donnie's_

I watched as the little orange cat ran around my lab, meowing at me. I set down the bowl of food in my hands, and he ran over to it and started eating. I sat down next to him, watching him eat. I had found out that he does not speak. Cats cannot talk.

I ran my hand over his soft orange fur. "I still don't know what to name you," I said to him. "Maybe Mikey can name you. I'm no good at naming things. Mikey is really good at that."

Splinter came into my lab with a ball of yarn and closed the door. "When he's done eating, he can play with this for a little bit," he told me and sat down with me. "Have you come up with a name for him yet?"

"No. I decided I'll let Mikey name him," I said. After a moment of silence, I asked, "He's so energetic. Will he leave the lair?"

"I'm not sure yet. I'm thinking that maybe he can just stay in here for now until we figure that out," he told me.

"Are we still going to give him to Mikey?"

"Of course. Michelangelo can just come play with him in here."

"Are we going to let Mikey see him today? It's really hard to keep secrets from him. He's almost seen him twice now."

"Of course. How about you go get him now? I'm sure he would be very happy to finally know about the cat's existence."

I excitedly jumped up and ran from my lab, closing the door behind me. Mikey was in his room, looking at one of his comics. He looked up when I opened the door. "Mikey, I have something I need to show you," I said, out of breath. He got down off of his bed and followed me back to my lab. I opened the door slowly and gestured for Mikey to go in first. He poked his head in and gasped before running inside towards the cat.

"What do you have in there, Donnie?" Leo asked, looking up from his book. I grinned.

"Come look," I said. He nodded, getting to his feet and walking over to me. He looked inside the lab and gasped.

"What is that?" he asked quietly.

"A cat!" Mikey answered excitedly from inside. I looked in and found that Mikey was laying on his stomach, watching the cat eat intently. I smiled.

"What is a cat?" Leo asked, stepping inside.

"It's a domestic pet. People keep them for love and companionship," I said.

"Oh, okay. What is the cat's name?" he asked.

"I don't know. Mikey gets to name him," I said.

Mikey gasped, sitting up. "I get to name him?" he asked. I nodded, smiling. "I don't know what to name him…"

"Name what? Why are we all crowded around here?" Raph asked from behind.

"A cat," Leo told him. I looked back and saw Raph's confused expression.

"Come look," I said, stepping out of the way. Raph stepped forward to look inside.

"Oh. It looks soft," Raph noted.

"He is. Come feel him, Raphie," Mikey said. Raph walked in towards the cat and sat down. He reached out and ran his hand over the cat's back.

"Oh. He is," Raph said.

"I want to feel him," Leo said and went in. I came in all of the way, too, closing the door. The cat was getting close to finishing his food, and I'm sure he'd be energetic after eating.

Leo knelt down and pet the cat, too. I saw him smile.

"Michelangelo, when he is finished eating, would you like to throw a ball around for him?" Splinter asked him. Mikey's eyes lit up as he nodded.

The cat finished eating and then looked at all of us and meowed. Then he got in Splinter's lap. Splinter handed the ball to Mikey. "Push it in Donatello's direction," he said. Mikey nodded and rolled it along the floor. The cat jumped up and ran after it, flipping over it. Mikey giggled with delight, and I even saw Leo and Raph smile.

"I'm gonna name him Klunk," Mikey announced.

"Any particular reason?" Splinter asked. Mikey shook his head. I gently took the ball of yarn from the cat and rolled it back towards Mikey. The cat followed, and Mikey grinned.

"Are we keeping Klunk?" Leo asked. Splinter nodded.

"Of course. He is Michelangelo's pet now," he said.

"Why is he Mikey's pet?" Raph demanded.

"Because Donatello found him because of Michelangelo," Splinter answered calmly. "Donatello wanted him to have Klunk." Mikey looked up at me with a grin before he got to his feet and hugged me.

"Thank you, Donnie," he said to me, and I smiled, hugging him back.


End file.
